Chapter Text
Sara’s eyes snapped open, and the world came into focus. She was laying on her bed, sweat covering both her and the sheets. She sat up, rubbing a hand over her face. She sighed. “Gideon?” Sara said to the ceiling, and no response came. “Gideon.” She said again, to no avail. For a moment, Sara wasn’t sure if it was worth even trying to get out of bed. What was there to even live for anymore? Never again would there be someone like Ava so willing to embrace her, flaws, trauma and all. Ava was her last chance, her last chance at something real. She took a moment to gather whatever courage she had left and shakily stood up, feeling as though she were about to collapse, her muscles aching and joints creaking. A quick glance in the mirror on her dresser confirmed she looked as bad as she felt.
Her hair was sticking up all over, her eyes red rimmed with dried tear tracks on her cheeks. The dark circles, that once upon a time had been a constant, reappeared back under her eyes. Perhaps that is why Gideon wouldn’t respond to her, because she needed to be pitied, and that is against the AI’s orders. She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her hoodie, before walking to the door and leaving her room. The Waverider was strangely quiet, a quiet she wasn’t sure she had ever graced the halls of the ship.
Her footsteps echoed off the walls, a strange thumping sound that she wasn’t sure was what footsteps were supposed to sound like. Suddenly, Sara heard a second pair of footsteps behind her, slow and deliberate. For the first time in ages, she didn’t have a knife handy hidden on her leg.
“Who’s there?” She demanded, before turning around, setting a steely look. Behind her stood Dez, but quite obviously not the Dez that John had fallen in love with. He wore a sickening smirk, running his tongue over his teeth.
“Hello, Sara Lance.” He said, his voice even and smooth. “I’ve been waiting to see you.”
“What is with demon’s wanting to see me?” She whispered under her breath. If there was something she didn’t want to deal with right now, it was Neron and his antics. She leaned against the wall, looking up at the demon with tired eyes. “What do you want, man?”
Neron smiled at her again, showing his vessel’s perfect white teeth. “I want to help you, Sara. But you need to help me help you.”
Sara shook her head, bowing it and staring at the familiar floor. “I wasn’t born fucking yesterday.” She looked back up at him again, and if looks could kill, he’d be just another kill on her long list. “I don’t want your help, I’m not going to destroy the world, or the timeline for you.”
Neron nodded. “I understand it can be hard to trust me, especially after what I’ve done, after what you’ve been through.” Suddenly, she wasn’t in the Waverider anymore, the room had shifted into a grimy room that smelled of salt water and misery. Sara’s breath caught in her throat at the familiar sight, one that she had seen frequently in her nightmares. As Neron stood silently behind her, she stepped forward, looking into one of the many cages and finding Oliver Queen. She knelt down, and slowly put a hand through the bars. Oliver Queen looked at her like she was the worst thing he had ever had to lay his eyes upon.
“Why are you showing me this?” Sara whispered, desperately. “This is something I do not wish to be reminded of.” Neron came to kneel beside her, looking in at Oliver Queen.
“I can erase this, Sara.” He stood. “I am making you an offer you once refused.” He focused on Sara with piercing eyes. “I can make sure this never happened, and give you back the life you should have had.”
Sara turned away, coming to rest with her back to the cage and her knees by her chest. “This is what made me who I am.” She whispered, more so to herself. “I…if this never happened I never would have met the legends, never would have met A-” She cut herself off and put her head in her hands.
“It is the universe’s plan for you to meet the legends, but not for you to be one.” He said. “I can save your sister’s life, and give you a normal one.” He took a step back. “What did you want to do in college?”
Sara’s breath caught in her throat. She knew the more she revealed to the demon, the bigger hold he could have on her, the easier it would be for him to do with her what he wanted. But she decided to answer anyway. “I wanted to go to med school.” She murmured.
_________
Ava threw her keys in the bowl beside the door, dropping her bag and kicking off her shoes. Ever since her fight, or was it a breakup, she wasn’t sure, with Sara, work had been hell. Gary just had not been leaving her alone, and while it was out of kindness, it was starting to drive her insane. Her attention was brought back to herself when she saw the kitchen light was still on, the one she knew for sure she turned off when she left. She carefully stepped into the kitchen, her heart racing when on the floor lay an unconscious Sara.
“Sara!” Ava rushed to her side, her fingers going to Sara’s neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when a pulse came through. It wasn’t strong, but it was clearly there and present. “Hey.” Ava whispered, running a hand through Sara’s hair. “Come on, you’re okay.” Sara laid still.
Ava took a deep breath, and started putting the last known Waverider coordinates in her time courier. She stood, trying to keep a brave face. The woosh of the portal opened, and the legends on the other side turned to face her.
“It’s fuckin’ Director Pantsuit.” Said Mick to someone Ava couldn’t see. That person was Zari, who soon appeared in her line of sight.
She crossed her arms. “Are we under arrest, Director?” She asked, voice steely and strong.
Ava, still trying to hide any panic she had. “No, it’s just that…” She stepped through the portal but made sure to keep it open. “Sara’s at my apartment, and something’s happened to her.” It was then when Zari and Mick saw their captain on the floor of Ava’s immaculate apartment. Both sprang into action and this was the first time she had ever seen Mick care so much about something that wasn’t sex or alcohol. In a blur, Sara was in the medbay, Ava standing awkwardly by the door, not sure if it was her place to intrude. It was most likely her fault that Sara was like this, she was the one who had broken them up.
She didn’t know she was crying until she got a pitied look from Zari, and she hastily wiped away a tear and sighed. “Gideon, what’s wrong with her?” She asked. The AI stayed silent for a moment.
“I don’t know. It’s something supernatural in origin.” Gideon said and Ava almost swore she could hear the AI’s voice waver.
“We need to get John.” Ava asserted. Zari nodded.
“He should be on the ship.” Zari looked up at the ceiling. “Gideon, can you call John in here?”
A few minutes later, a disheveled John Constantine with a cigarette in between his mouth and his red tie fully undone. “Can’t a man have some peace and quiet on this damn ship?” His attitude changed after he saw the Captain in the medbay chair. “Oh shit.” He looked at her for a moment, before his face turned dark. “Where’d you find her?”
“My apartment.” Ava disclosed.
John furrowed his brows and took a step closer to her. “Your apartment?” Ava nodded. “Then you must’ve been the target.” Ava stared blankly at him, her breath quickening.
“The target? For who?”
“Neron.”